03/04/2026
On February 10, 2026 Sycamore Partners, who now owns Walgreens, laid off 469 corporate employees in Illinois and an additional 169 corporate employees in Texas. This is in addition to the 9,000 employee layoffs that occured in August 2025 when Sycamore Partners bought Walgreens.
The numbers of layoffs for 2025 by Walgreens prior to the sale are not available but they did close 1,200 stores in 2024. So assume the math. After acquiring Walgreens, Sycamore in 2025, there has been nothing but chaos. And you are seeing a taste of it in our little Village of Elburn.
On any given day our pharmacy is not open because there isn't enough staff to fill or dispense your medication. The store is open but the actual pharmacy is not. A pharmacist may be there but you must have a technician for a double check. This is not only a state mandated healthcare safety rule but it is ethical as well. Bottom line, Walgreens won't pay for extra techs, and if the one scheduled is sick and a replacement can't cover then the pharmacy has to close. Period. Don't be angry at the pharmacist. Be angry at Walgreens; Profit over healthcare.
This has been going on for quite a while now. Sure it was like this off and on in 2025 due to Walgreens budget and hiring freezes/staff reductions but it is and will get much worse with Sycamore Partners.
In addition to staff cuts and the layoffs, the company has taken steps such as removing paid holidays for hourly employees and extending the pharmacist's shifts. The role of a Walgreen's pharmacist has always been historically tough but add in the recent company's lack of support, massive layoffs, horrible understaffing at peak busy times, and horrendous hours/extended shifts, the burnout is destroying the pharmacist and the store.
Sycamore Partners has a very bad reputation and Walgreens has made a "grab the money and run" in the nonchalant decision to sell the company to them. Again profit over healthcare.
Since acquiring Staples in 2017, the company has faced multiple penalties for health, safety, and wage-and-hour violations. Additionally, Talbots (also owned by Sycamore) was involved in a significant private wage and hour lawsuit.
Sycamore owned companies have also faced penalties for environmental violations. The firm has been involved in FTC actions regarding, for example, the divestiture of stores to settle anti-competitive concerns in the acquisition of Family Dollar.
Sycamore Partners, which specializes in restructuring retail companies, will lead to Walgreens having further staff reductions and this is going to lead to potentially deadly medical errors and reduced access to care.
I see nothing good in the horizon for Walgreens.
*From the Net*